Tag: shelearns

Mark it Up!

I don’t know about you, but…

I write in my Bible.

A lot.

I mark it up.

Maybe it’s simply because I love annotating and post-it notes, and highlighters and journals and gel pens.

Maybe not.

God gave his word to US to devour and share and hide in our hearts.  How incredibly blessed we are with this gift?!

We need to SOAK IT UP.

We need to make it personal.

“A bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”

Charles Spurgeon

Our Bibles can’t stay on our nightstands collecting dust. I realized how important making our Bibles personal when I left my Bible at church on Sunday. I could have borrowed a Bible or used one of numerous others lying around my room and house, but there is something about the bible we use on a consistent basis that helps us dive into the Word with a profound eagerness. In my bible I’ve written prayers, scrawled in the margins, asked questions and made comments. It’s practically a journal.

I’m resolving, TODAY, that I’m gonna be in the word more, because frankly, I haven’t been too appreciative lately of the fact that God gave it to ME to use! I look to everything else except what’s right in front of me, readily available. Aside from giving himself to me Jesus has given me the truest form of wisdom to be found.

“…he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Hebrews 11: 6

Will you resolve to seek Him as well?

-Kayla-

I appreciate your feedback! Comment below and tell me what you think (:

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Talk to Me

I love conversations.

Contrary to popular belief, I have my moments where the I in my ISFJ-ness is imminent. But, this post isn’t about Meyers-Briggs test results. It’s about holding better conversations.

I kinda sorta really believe that social media is a horrible excuse for etiquette…just saying.

Talk to Me
Photography from CSUBlogs.com

Two signs of passivity:

1. Inserting “just saying” at the end of  a sentence. Sometimes, we  say things, but we don’t have the courage to be confident in what we say so somehow we think the phrase makes everything better.

2. Ellipses. I’m surprised at how many people don’t know this term so I suppose I should explain. And ellipses is three periods in a row. In a text have you ever had a lapse in the conversation where someone responds to something you’ve written says, well texts,something like this: “OK…..” or “Oh….” or “yeah…” and then the conversation just sort of ends there? And you feel kinda bad about yourself? Maybe it’s just me, but I kinda start to freak and out and typically assume I’ve said something to hurt his or her feelings? Either that or I feel frustrated because they are hinting that they have something to say but aren’t saying it.

3. “Don’t hate me cuz I’m beautiful.” Still trying to figure this one out.

Not clarifying comes in the form of:

1. Awkward silences.

2. Not addressing the awkwardness.

3. Not signaling the end of a conversation, once again it’s easy to not do over social media, but it’s still courteous. Especially over Facebook and texting.

4. Not following up. I see this a lot in friendships and deeper relationships. This is different from not signaling the end. “How?” You ask? You completely end the conversation without discussing when you’re going to talk again. Or you end by saying something such as “we should hang out soon.” This in and of itself is not bad, but it’s important to act upon these words.

Talk to me! What are your thoughts on conversing? What are some issues you see that I didn’t touch on How do you think we could improve our conversations?

-Kayla

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Four Years, Four Lessons

@Kayla Nicole
Louisa and I

Today marks four years since a devastating earthquake demolished Haiti, a country already deep in poverty and full of economic woes. In the summer of 2012, this country taught me four lessons I will never forget.


Love

Today I realized that actions speak louder than words. The language barrier must be broken down by finding new ways to communicate. 

If I speak in tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love I gain nothing.

1st Corinthians 13:1-3

Journal entry from July 25, 2012.

Thankfulness

Every time I think of Windy,  he reminds me to be thankful and value every single second of every minute, every hour, every morning, every evening, every night, seven days a week  of every single month of the year.

I took away many things from Windy, but the most important thing I learned is to value life. To value every second of every day. I was convicted strongly when I thought of all the HOURS I’ve spent worrying and not doing. Even during this time of sickness he [Windy] refused to be anxious. 

Journal entry from July 26, 2o12.

Faith & Trust

My friend, lets me tell you something, when you already say God has control, your bad situation gets worse or even you saw you are in front of death; you must say you are good in Jesus’ name. And God will say you have faith say you have faith in him. So my friend, I am very good in Jesus Christ.

Windy’s favorite bible verse was Exodus 14: 14 “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.Windy was a ddisciple, servant,pastor, teacher, friend, brother, son,student, Kirk Franklin fan, father to the fatherless, pastor, EMT, founder of the Jehovah Nissi school in Cite Soleil, dreamer. 

Windy Sauver,  March 22nd, 1985-December 9th, 2012

Thank-you Windy for teaching me to see the beauty in the broken.

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I Love to Read

I’m starting with Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.

In fact, I’m already over forty pages in. (This fact is also proof that I’m having trouble adapting to the Kindle format). Convenient? Yes. Prone to wander while “reading?” Possibly. The book by Krakauer hasn’t been something I’ve been aching to read for a while. I signed up for a non-fiction writing class that ended up being cancelled. In other words, it was on the forefront of my mind.

I could have waited until January 1st to make an official resolution to read more books, but then I ran across Jon Acuff, author of Start, and his Empty Shelf Challenge!. I thought, why not get my foot in the door now?

P.S.

Once cleared, a photo of my empty shelf will be on my Pinterest account under a board called The Empty Shelf Challenge.

What will you read?

Kayla

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An Open Letter to Humans: “Oh the Drama!”

“Can we all just get along?” Rodney King asked that question in 1991 and it embodies the sentiments of many people still today.

Actually, yes we can. The real question is “will we?”

Some people are under the impression that drama and gossip only ever occur in high school. This could not be farther from the truth. Graduation is more like an opportunity to act mature and all grown up.  You see, there is this myth out there that the day after you graduate high school, you wake up a sage old soul full of wisdom “beyond their years.”

Now, just to be clear, this open letter isn’t meant to be a passive message. In fact, passivity is something I’d like to address in this post. I never intend to use any of my blog posts as a form of vengeance. So. That being said, think what you will. Much drama that I’ve witnessed first hand or second-hand is worsened because of passivity. I think the best definition of passive in this case is this  2. not involving visible reaction or active participation. It’s often “subtly” or “indirectly” hinting that so-and-so (supposedly) said or did something.

1. Don’t be a passive. Especially on social media. Save yourself the heartache of blowing up something that’s already a problem. I believe venting can be healthy. However, it requires the right place, time, and if you’re not writing it down in a journal, as I often do, the right person. When I say the “right person” it’s usually someone who has gone through the same thing, but with different people. Otherwise you’re just throwing a gossip party–not something that’s typically healthy or constructive.

2. To keep it simple, if you hear something about someone, don’t be naive and believe everything you hear. Go to the person who is the subject of all the controversy. I’m no statistician, but I can almost guarantee that most of what you’ve heard is either completely a lie, or blown out of proportions.

3. Remember: you can’t take back what you say or don’t say for that matter. You could be a positive. Also remember that social media is a whole new level of bad. Social Media is  another post in itself.

4. It doesn’t matter if a rumor is true or not. It isn’t your business.

5. Another myth. Just because you aren’t the one talking, doesn’t mean you aren’t  partaking in the gossip.

6. On that note, it does matter that you find it in you to say “Hey, you know what guys? I don’t want to be a part of this conversation. There are better things to talk about.” The decision to be the person in your friend circle is hard. But it’s totally worth it.

7. Saying, “ugh. I’m so tired of drama” is  kind of claiming superiority over those who are dramatic. Ironically, you more often than not come off as dramatic as well.

As I like to say, “if it bothers you, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.” It’s much more effective than writing a Facebook status or Tweeting your feelings of frustrated.

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Embracing the Unexpected

Peace

Unexpected

*Surgery and a month-long recovery

* Cold turned-sinus infection

Expected

*Expectations

*Responsibilities

Promised

*Grace

*Second chances

Jesus Calling, November 4th

by Sarah Young

Walk peacefully with Me through this day. You are wondering how you will cope with all that is expected of you. You must traverse this day like any other: one step at a time. Instead of mentally rehearsing how you will do this or that, keep your mind on my presence and on taking the next step. The more demanding your day, the more help you can expect from Me. This is a training opportunity, since I designed you for dependence on your Shepherd-King. Challenging times wake you up and amplify your awareness of needing my help.

When you don’t know what to do, wait while I open the way before you. Trust that I know what I’m doing, and be ready to follow My lead. I will give strength to you, and I will bless you with peace.

Exodus 33:14; Deuteronomy 33:25; Hebrews 13:20-21; Psalm 29:11.

Embrace the unexpected journeys. Keep in mind the spectacular view from the mountaintop. Your journey is not the same as others. Cross out the words “always” “everybody” “perfect” and “failure” from your vocabulary lists. Remind yourself that if you continue to make attempts at living up to another’s expectation for what should be God’s plan for your life, you will never be happy. Worrying displays a lack of faith in God. He desires to do whatever it takes to  “wake you up.” You are only human. Nobody is perfect the first time around. Or the second time. And even the third time. Rejoice in new mercies each morning.

-Kayla-

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Limitless

I’ve been brainstorming. A lot. I’ve been experimenting. I’m starting to explore my interests. I know I want to major in  Journalism and Media Production hopefully minor in Professional Writing. I know I want to go to Washington State University after finishing my transfer degree at Edmonds Community College. BUT, I didn’t know that until after I had already graduated High School. Up until then. I had no idea. I mean, how do people have all that stuff figured out in such a short amount of time.

Anyhow, people have been asking me probably since I was in eighth grade what I want to do with my life. Come my freshman year of High School, I still had no clue. Then my sophomore year came and went. Then quickly I was done with my junior year. Senior year all my friends were applying for colleges, being accepted, figuring out their majors, and making plans. I, on the other hand, had just begun playing around with ideas. I hate math with a passion.  So that eliminated quite a few things. I started thinking about majoring in English, but then I realized I’d probably have to either become a full-time writer or teacher.  I’m not good at teaching. I don’t enjoy being upfront. I shake and I mumble.  But writing, ah. Now there is something I enjoy.

I began thinking outside of the box. Instead of asking myself if I had a dream school, I began asking what kind of impact I wanted to generate in this world and how I could use my skills to inspire others to impact the world as well.  So I began to look into journalism. And here are just some of the ideas that came through my mind as I envisioned myself as a journalist, and everything I could potentially do within that  degree. The sky is the limit. You just have to think outside of the norm.

004

This is a fun exercise! (I hope you’ll try it out too).

-Kayla-

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For the Fresh Peoples

I learn as I go. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten anything right the first time. I’ve learned more by making mistakes than I think I would’ve if I hadn’t made them.  I believe it is my duty to impart with some little snippets of wisdom.  From one fellow grammar Nazi to another, please, feel free to keep any corrections to yourself. I only drank one cup of coffee today.  WARNING: SARCASM INTENDED. STOP HERE IF YOU CAN’T LAUGH AT YOURSELF.

So, without further ado, here are a few things you should know about college:

  1. you no longer have the ability to be the teacher’s pet. you are ONE fish in one very large school.
  2.  friends will come and go. some people are placed in your life for a season. Others for longer. the latter are usually able to stand two tests which either make or break  friendships: 1) distance 2) time.
  3. i’m assuming a majority of you drink coffee or some caffeinated liquid. look at your class schedule. plan accordingly for caffeine crashes. if all of your classes are in the morning, by all means, help yourself to a cup of Joe, tea, your chock-full -of-energy drink of choice. If you intend on accomplishing your homework in the afternoon, you might wanna have a second cup after lunch. believe me. i’ve learned all of this by trial and error. don’t be that person who orders three extra shots of caffeine in their coffee. if you’re that desperate, there is a cure. it’s called sleep.
  4. summer classes. i took a fifteen credit load in the summer. entirely online. i spent 130+ hours on one five credit math homework. imagine a year-long math class, then a semester class and then a quarterly class and the an 8 week class. 130+hours for one class alone. plan accordingly so that you do not have to put yourself through something that stressful.
  5. you’re only human. not everybody places into calculus first semester the way ALL freshmen are supposed to. it’s OK. i placed into Algebra. i worked hard and received a B. better to work hard and receive a B than not work at all.   worth ethic will get you a LOT farther than 4.0’s.
  6.  in case of an emergency, take a tip from Gracie Lou Freebush. A.K.A, Miss Congeniality, Gracie Heart, Sandra Bullock etc.  and just S.I.N.G! Solar Plexus, Instep, Nose, and Groin 😉 Congratulations. You’ve just mastered your first self-defense lesson.
  7. ask questions.  find out EXACTLY what your teacher wants. make sure things are crystal clear. For example, does your math teacher expect things done a certain way? Let’s face it, most teachers prefer assignments done a particular way. if you can’t  ask  your teacher, ask the TA, if you can’t ask the TA, ask someone who has been in the class before, if you don’t know someone who has been in the class before, ask a different teacher in the SAME DEPARTMENT. your math teacher may know your English teacher, but his or her English skills probably won’t be that great.  don’t try to cozy up to your teacher so much that you become that extremely obnoxious person who sides with the teacher concerning everything. there is no such thing as a stupid questions. except, well y’know…..i just won’t go there.
  8.  english class. always give constructive feedback to classmates. the least helpful thing for a person to hear is “oh that’s cool,” or “oh that’s stupid.” Always answer the five W’s.
  9.  notes are important.  i’ve learned that the hard way this quarter. however, note taking is  only of good use to you if you a)  number the pages b) preferably keep them in a spiral notebook. neat writing is kind of pointless if you have half of your lecture notes in a binder and the other half somewhere on your desk.
  10.  you’re sharing a room with someone you’ve either never met before, share nothing in common with, will only keep their room clean until the first day of school starts, or is TOTALLY AWESOME. Be prepared for anything. you can only stalk a person on Facebook so much. the “e-harmony” of roommates only works so well. how do I know this? i talked with a friend at a going away party and she said her current roommate is actually on the waiting list for a  single room. #awkward.
  11.  amazon isn’t always cheaper. i recently recoiled in horror at this terrible revelation. i found out that one of my school textbooks is actually half the price at the school bookstore than online. this is the first time it has happened in five quarters so…..
  12.  if you aren’t the type of person who annotates and underlines frantically (like me) you should try renting books.  so step 1) figure out how you best retain information.
  13.  so, sometimes you can find the older version of a textbook for a lot cheaper simply because it’s a different edition. e-mail your professors and they may let you make copies of material not included in the older editions. not many people do this. mainly because they’re too lazy to make the extra effort and ending up spending more money than they’d like. and honestly, not many teachers are happy with their salaries and may therefore sympathize with your insane materials cost.
  14.  hopefully you are at school for an education so, try to come away educated. harsh, but y’know.
  15. Finals: UGH.  here’s my best advice. Set a tentative game plan. take out your handy-dandy planner schedule out the week preceding finals carefully. follow that as closely as possible.  then be prepared for that entire plan to completely failed. so after plan A fails, choose the class most vital to your degree and make sure to not fail that one class. 
  16.  academic integrity. let’s get serious.  you can bet I’ll write a separate post on this issue because I feel so strong about this issue. don’t cheat. please. it’s not worth it. i know “everybody” is making the decision to Google answers to that take home test. well guess what. you are not everybody. i could probably be an honors student if i weren’t an honest student. life isn’t fair. the bell curve isn’t fair. but YOU MUST think about how the decisions you make now will decide your future. don’t fall into that peer pressure. here’s the deal, many times people will try to justify cheating simply because things aren’t communicated clearly between your professor and the class-directly. look at your class syllabus. look at your test and/or homework instructions. if something seems fuzzy, clarify with your teacher. ASK if you can use extra. there’s nothing wrong with that.
  17. student accounts : “welcome! you’ll need our services for the next four years of your life at (insert school name) please expect delays from day one of account creation. we no longer communicate via paper. WE’RE ADVANCED. therefore, from here on out, we’ll have our IT department open 24/7, because the best part about our services is that nothing EVER works perfectly. expect unexpected changes to occur with each  log in and lack of communication and understanding from your teachers. we’re hoping that these dire circumstances will increase creativity among our students, who we desire to be as well-rounded as possible.” sincerely, The Team at ( insert name of school and account type).
  18. scholarships. brag away, because we all know that YOU are the reason YOU are here today. i.e 2.0 G.P.A, that one time you did that one thing with ASB. ahh but here is an idea! my third cousin twice removed was one-quarter Cherokee Indian. SCORE. no. just no.
  19. FAFSA. congratulations you are just rich enough but just poor enough that this one $5,000 Stanford student loan POSSIBILITY will hardly make a dent in the $200,000 + you’ll be paying for school. welcome to the middle class. WE ARE THE 99%.
  20. Need a Monday pick-me-up? Watch a Blimey Cow YouTube video. They recently started doing podcasts as well!
  21. Find your jam. And crank it up.

-Kayla

eldest of eight, recent High School graduate, current community college student and future transfer at God-knows-where (He does)

Jeremiah 29:11

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Books, Books, and More Books!

115. That is the number of books on my shelves–or in my Kindle– I have read or am super-duper close to finishing. 40. The number of books in the Left Behind series  for teens by Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins. I read them all in a matter of months. Unknown. The number of books I’ve ever checked out from the public library. 9+. The current number of books on my reading list this summer. 1179. The number of pages in The Count of Monte Cristo. The longest book I have read thus far aside from the Bible. 5. My age when I illustrated my grandpa’s self-published book–The Little Angel Gets A Big Job. 2. The number of attempts I made before finally finishing Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. 6. The number of Bibles I own. 1. The number of books I want to write in my lifetime. (At LEAST). 3. The number of boards on my Pinterest dedicated completely to books. Yes, I am a nerd 4 life.

Currently Finished and/or Currently (Attempting) To Read:

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. Finished. Incredible.

Forgotten God by Francis Chan. You must read this book. You absolutely must. It’s convicting, encouraging, and thought-provoking. In the best ways possible.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. The struggle is real. I’m only 241 pages in. And I started forever and a day ago.

Jesus The King: Understanding The Life And Death of The Son Of God by Timothy Keller. (Previously titled King’s Cross). This is one of those good books that I need to just  sit down and read. It just hasn’t happened.

Summer 2013 Summer Quarter College Reading List:

License to Thrill: A Cultural History Of The James Bond Films by James Chapman

License Renewed by John Gardner

Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

Note: These books are actually a requirement for my History 255R class I just wrapped up this summer titled: Bond…James Bond. Who would’ve thought one could earn 5 college credit for learning about a fictional character? These are the questions I asked myself at the start of summer quarter. Well, the end has come and gone (thank heavens)! Not only am I NOT a Bond fan, but my favorite book wasn’t even written by Ian Fleming himself. Sad day. My advice to you: don’t take an obscure specialized class. It’s code word for fan club.

7: an experimental mutiny against excess by Jen Hatmaker. Ugh. School was crazy so I still haven’t finished the last 8% of the book. That sounds so wrong. I can’t get used to this whole Kindle thing.

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. LEwis

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

How did I fall so behind in this precious series?!

Spontaneous reads:

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. One of few books in the “young adult” genre that isn’t about zombies or vampires.

2. The Great Gatsby by Francis-Scott Fitzgerald I almost cried. So. Sad.

3. This Side of Paradise by Francis-Scott Fitzgerald.

Just starting:

1. Rooms a novel by James L. Rubart

Praise for rooms: “Rooms is one of the best books I’ve read in the past year. If you like The Shack, I think you’ll like Rooms. If you didn’t like The Shack, I bet you’ll love Rooms. This story got under my skin and it’s going to be there for a long, long time.”

–Randy Ingermanson, Christy award-winning author of Oxygen

My curiosity is officially aroused. I read The Shack and I’ll be honest: I did not enjoy the read at all. There, I’ve spit that out. Whew! Let me just say I found it very controversial. But hey, that’s exactly why I enjoy writing. Not because I enjoy controversial things, but because I enjoy discussing anything and everything.  Read it for yourself, and tell me what you think!

Journalism 125 Textbooks:

I would jump up and down with excitement, but I can’t do that while sitting.

1. News Reporting and Writing by Missouri Group Twelfth Edition.

2. Associated Press Stylebook Tenth Edition.

Always Reading:

1. My Upmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. This devotional is so inspiring. Chambers does an excellent job writing in-depth snippets of goodness. It’s one of those books I don’t want to read through because I’m afraid I won’t want to read it over again!

Always Loving:

“The Bible is the book of all others, to be read at all others, and in all conditions of human life.”

John Quincy Adams

What are you reading?

-Kayla

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I Should Explain

I feel as if I should explain something, it’s sort of a confession.I created this blog because I failed miserably at Tumblr. I never got into the whole re-blogging thing. Sure I love cute quotes just as much as the next person, but I also enjoy bloggers who occasionally create their own work. Yes, I realize that sounds harsh and I admit I’m generalizing, but I realize I was pining away for a different audience.  As an aspiring writer I was searching for a new motivation and I just didn’t find it. The problem is what I was really searching for was perfection. I was looking to do the same amount of work and receive different results. I was terribly inconsistent. They say practice makes perfect and I have yet to prove that theory wrong. I want Coffee Shop Talk to be a place for practice and constructive criticism. Because that’s what Coffee Shop Talk is! Imperfect yet extraordinary. Simple yet complex. How many of you can say that you have never walked into any coffee shop and ended up talking to someone you weren’t expecting to talk to? If you haven’t experienced this, I’d suggest you get out of the house more,or try someplace less mainstream than Starbucks.

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